Saturday, 31 March 2012

The 2nd UK Fatbike gathering has been set for weekend of 28th/29th April, 2012.

Quite short notice but hopefully all those who made last years 1st UK fatbike Gathering can all make it along with no doubt many others judging by the sales of fatbikes here in the UK....

Last years chilled and easy weekend was one of the best social cycling weekends i have ever had, with some fantastic friends, old and new...

This years organisers are Andy & Jane who promise a fantastic weekend at the Lake District in NW England with some classic rocky Lakes trails on the Saturday and then we head to the coast and beach on the Sunday. In between that will be lots of good laughs, eating food, tyre kicking and if you want, a drink or two...

Camping has been arranged and there will be forth coming links on that and B&B accommodation soon on the thread for FBUK2 over on the MTBR Fatbike Forum

So once all the details are up, just turn up on the Friday evening and it will all sort itself out...

Really looking forward to this one -:)... we can mention the Moonlander this year!

Friday, 30 March 2012

On this years summers holidays i will spend a bit more time exploring around Loch Eriboll on the North West coast in Sutherland, Scotland, before heading to the East Coast for some beachriding and camping.
Loch Eriboll is a stunningly scenic Loch. It is 10 miles long and the deepest sea loch in Scotland. The coastal road follows the loch side which is quiet today...

However in 1945 the Loch was the scene of the secret surrender of 33 German U Boats...
One of Germany's most terrifying and devastating weapons of WW2.
The vessels that surrendered here were responsible for sinking or damaging 59 merchant ships and 14 warships — 300,000 tonnes of Allied shipping...

This 5 part Documentary on youtube is worth watching if your interested in the U boat war...

Loch Eriboll 1945...

The Highland Loch, close to Durness, was the only Scottish rendezvous point for U-boats. In the space of two weeks, from May 10 to May 25, 1945, it turned into the biggest single gathering of the German submarine fleet anywhere in the world. The U-boats — nicknamed grey wolves — were part of Hitler’s plan to starve Britain of food, raw materials and equipment...

The surrender of German submarines in Loch Eriboll in Sutherland was one of the strangest episodes at the end of World War II. Locals were sworn to secrecy and it has often been assumed that only “two or three” crews gave themselves up in the sheltered inlet...

But in fact 33 U-boat commanders surrendered in the space of 12 days in the 10-mile long loch.
Each U-boat had between 30 and 50 crew. The crews were happy to surrender in Scotland, as it was the Russians they were worried about. They just didn’t want to give up to them...

The surrender included U-1231, which was used as the fleet’s “off-licence” and was laden with wine, and U-532 which had just returned from Japan and was carrying raw rubber, quinine and other war supplies...

Fifteen U-boats were brought under convoy from Norway by Canadian warships and all were disarmed within hours.
Explosives and other armaments were dumped over the side in Loch Eriboll and they were then re-routed to locations including Lochalsh in Wester Ross, where the crews were arrested, the loch’s seabed to this day is littered with explosives and armaments...

As part of Operation Deadlight, the U-boats were scuttled in the Atlantic, with 121 of the 154 U-boats that surrendered being sunk in deep water off Lisahally, Northern Ireland, or Loch Ryan, in the west of Scotland in late 1945 and early 1946...

Loch Eriboll was chosen because of its isolation and deep anchorage. It also limited any opportunity for a last show of defiance from the U-boat commanders.
There was one incident, when U-295 rammed a Canadian escort ship, HMCS Nene, punching a hole in the starboard side. The U-boat captain claimed it was an accident...

The U-boat captain read a message to his ship’s company telling them that they were leaving their boat and I imagine there were a few tears of these very brave men...

The story of the fear the U boats brought to shipping is well known, spare a thought for the nerves of the young crews who manned them, The excellent German film `Das Boot` captures the claustrophobic atmosphere, and fear they endured... definitely watch the German un dubbed version with subtitles...

Thursday, 29 March 2012

Another Scorcher of a day and a mid morning 1 meter low tide was ideal to go for a play on the expanse of exposed rocks around Barnes Ness and east at Skateraw.
Time to use the Surly Moonlander again for its advantages. The bigger contact patch of the 4.7" `Big Fat larry` tyres and 4" wide rims provide extra grip of this bike on wet slime covered rocks which is quite amazing. All this area i have ridden on the Pugsley and it managed fine. It is just not as absorbent on the techy rocks and has slightly less grip on that treacherous green slime on the rocks far out near the low tide line. The Moonie is more comfortable to ride on bouncy terrain. again that drag felt on tarmac disappears once it is in its right environment.
I need to do another post on how the bike is going, and what has been swapped out/not worked etc and my findings with some parts for beach riding.

I need to ride down here more often as like Gosford Bay it is near deserted once away from the car parks...

East Lothian slick rock!...

Some film, been a while since i used a tri pod, doing so allows leaving the sound on with out lots of contact noise, adds a bit to the atmosphere.
Click on 720p to view in HD

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

It was 18C on Sunday afternoon in my Garden. Unreal weather for only March,
I went a ride to my local beach mid morning and just as i rolled down onto the sand a Sea Harr rolled in engulfing the whole coast. the sun tried to burn through, creating a surreal atmosphere, eerie and scenic...

A sign on a road through the woods on route to the beach; `Beware Giant Horse sized Toads` -:)...

Peffersands dunes...

360 view one minute film...

Then soon as it rolled in the Harr burned away and things warmed up dramatically...

Along the secret trail before heading home as the coast started to fill with day visitors. Time to cheat and re edit an existing film that was a bit long before, shot on an overcast wet day i swapped it out to black & white. Bit of a B&W thing going on here this now -;) ...
click on 720p for HD

A Recently shown BBC Documentary.
A very moving programme about the WW2 British Bombers and crews of the RAF.
125,000 young men faced one of the most dangerous jobs of the war, to fly to Germany and bomb the war machine factories of the Nazi war effort.

Lancaster on bombing run...

They suffered the highest casualty rate of the RAF - nearly half of them - 55,000 were killed.
A Lancaster Bomber was on average only expected to survive 7 bombing raids to Germany...
Each crew had to fly 30 sorties in there tour, only 1 in 6 crews were expected to survive..
think about those odds for a minute...

These young men have been largely unrecognised for there bravery and sacrifice made due to the controversial bombing of German cites. By `De housing` its civilians when failing attempts to destroy the factories it was decided to eradicate the people who worked in them as a guaranteed way to slow and disrupt war production. shocking and sad but deemed necessary to get the results.
In the documentary Ewan visits Hamburg, the first city to suffer a firestorm and talks to survivors of both sides. The programme is eye opening to what people endured and suffered, the firestorm that engulfed the city of Dresden is still talked about today...

Dresden 1945...

The young bomber crews story has largely been overshadowed since 1945 by the Battle of Britain's few, and the later Allied invasion on D Day 1944. What those young men - just kids did is hard to imagine.
Were here today in part because of them, and must never forget about those that did not come back...

Ewan Macgregor and his brother Colin attempt to tell there story interviewing survivors and they fly in the legendary Lancaster...

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Often in spring we get Sea Harr on the east coast when days become warmer. Cold North Sea air blown onshore meets the warmer air on the coastline and we get a mist that comes and goes. Sometimes its pea soup (thick!) sometimes the sun burns through, it is often eerie , or quite magical down on the coast when it rolls in.

An unusually warm last week of March saw such a weekend, Saturday was thick Harr when we went to John Muir Park, Five folk, four fat bikes and a horse -:)

Black & white seems to work better in this light...

The recent dry spell has lowered the depth of the river Tyne and exposed was a small island that i attempted to ride out to on the Moonlander...

But no such luck as i rode into ankle deep quicksand!, jumping of the Moonie it sat up unassisted on its fat tyres -:), amazing it was managing to ride along the river bank...

Friend Tom was riding my Pugsley on his first proper beach ride and enjoyed him self...

Along to Dunbar after to the chip shop and we met friend Allan and kids on a very long tandem!. Now the good bit, Jason is very handy with a camera, and when he makes a film it is always very good. Well he had his Go Pro along with him on Saturday and this film he made has to be one of the best beach riding fat bike films i have watched, kinda sums up a day on the coast with friends...

About Me

I live in East Lothian, S.E. Scotland.
I fill my time with my hobbies, interests and passions. Often cycling along the coast here. I like to enjoy all interests of the coast, Its scenery, wildlife, local history, with my other interests in art and music when out and about...
Please excuse the bad grammar, i am working on it!
email; coastkid71 AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk